The fitted jacket settled over my shoulders. I swiped at the material to make sure it was snug. I liked to look good whenever I stepped out of the house. It made me feel better about myself.
‘Gemini, I swear if you don’t get out here now, I’ll-’
‘Stop whining,’ I replied, opening the door and stepping into the hall.
His nose screwed up when a waft of aftershave followed me out of the room. I strode behind him as we went back out to the kitchen. He was taller than me by a couple of inches. His dark hair was starting to curl on his head as it grew out. Natalie, his twin flame soulmate, liked it longer.
The lads were growing up. Two of them had completed the first part of their mission. Finding and uniting with their soulmates. They had fallen in love and it was changing them. Taurus and Aries had mellowed. They were no longer in a rush to be right or finish first. Although, if anyone challenged them, it was a different story.
‘Here you go.’ Kerry handed me a slice of toast.
I grinned at her. ‘Why, thank you!’
She shook her head, moving back to her man. Taurus put his arm over her shoulders. She nuzzled into his side. ‘Don’t thank me. He made me do it,’ she said, pointing at the ex druggie.
The toast almost choked me as I bit into it. I chewed quickly, ready to reply with a retort. Why was my brother being kind all of a sudden?
‘Let’s go,’ Aries called, waving to the love birds and dragging me out of the front door by my sleeve.
I was undecided about our mission. Some days I believed what our parents slash guardians had taught us when we were young was true. Other days, I didn’t believe that we were literally on earth to bring more love to the planet. That’s what they had told us anyway. Mother and Father, our non-biological parents, had explained that we were special. Each one of us had a power, an ability. That much was true. We had watched each other learn how to use the power as we grew up. I could manipulate air. I moved and created wind.
‘What are you thinking?’ Aries butted into my thoughts.
We walked down the road, towards the centre of the city. We lived in Clapham Junction. A busy part of London.
‘Nothing.’
He glanced sideways at me. He wore shorts and a jumper. It was late autumn. The leaves were brown and falling from the trees. Aries’ legs would never get cold. They were fake.
‘My plan is to meet Mother somewhere open. If Nick and his men are watching her, we’ll have to lose them when we leave her.’
It had been six months since Aries had first walked on his legs. Over a year since he had blown his real legs off on the job. It still amazed me how agile he was.
‘Outside or inside?’
He rolled his eyes. There wasn’t any point in me having a say. He was in complete control.
‘Inside. A shopping centre might be a good idea.’
I nodded but he didn’t see. He was wrapped up in his own head too. My heart started to pound when I remembered the game from the night before. I had lost ten thousand pounds. Ten thousand massive smackers!
‘I’m going to ring her now. We need to jump on a train and head to Westfield.’
The shopping centre was huge. It was right next to the Olympic stadium. The excitement of the Olympics in London had been contagious. We had missed out on the opportunity to see it. Our parents were worried that someone would notice us. Twelve people named after the star signs. What were they thinking?
‘Why did they call us the Zodiac signs?’ I asked Aries as he hung up the phone.
His stride slowed at my question.
‘Father said it’s the name we’ve always had, even if it’s changed slightly. Every lifetime has been the same. We’re born, we’re named after the Zodiac sign we’re born under, or something similar. We try to find our soulmate and then we die. Nick usually finds or kills our soulmates before we can unite.’
I listened to him. He sounded like our parents, repeating the same old tales. Today was a day for believing.
Aries’ eyes lit up when his phone rang. ‘Hey, baby,’ he greeted, turning away from me as we entered the station.
Paying for our tickets, I watched him. His back was straight. He was oblivious to the stares of every person in the ticket hall. His legs glinted in the sun that shone through the entrance. The silly smile on his face showed a softer side to him. He was in love.
I had never been in love. Women excited me but only for the first night. Things got a little boring after I had tried them out.
‘You’re missing out,’ Aries said, smacking my back as he tucked his phone away.
I glanced around, noticing the women that eyed us both. I smiled at one of them. She blushed and turned away.
‘I don’t think so.’
Aries laughed as we hopped on the train. The carriage was full so we held onto the pole overhead as it took us to the shopping centre.
‘I know you!’ The shout came from a woman behind us. I ignored her, thinking she was talking to someone else. Her dark hair cascaded around her as she pushed her way through the crowd of people.
Aries started to back away.
‘Is she talking to you?’
He shook his head and frowned. The train came to a stop so he grabbed my jacket sleeve and tugged. I followed him off the train with the rush of people.
‘Wait!’
Her cry made us fasten our pace. We had no idea who she was. She could have been anyone.
‘Why are we running?’ I puffed as we shoved our tickets into the barrier.
‘In case it’s someone I messed around with before Natalie.’
What a surprise. I should have guessed that he had something to do with it. The woman had been very attractive. Her makeup was dark to match her sultry features. Aries probably bedded her and never got in contact again.
‘You never fail to amaze me.’ I tutted.
His eyebrows wiggled as we went into the shopping centre. I was starting to regret being with him. Why would he wear shorts when we needed to blend in? Just his legs would give away our position at any given moment.
‘You’re a fine one to talk. You’ve had your fair share of women.’ His gaze searched the faces of the people around us.
We came to a stop beside a cookie stand. My own attention was taken by the warm chocolatey biscuits. I wandered away from my brother to order myself a bag.
‘Don’t walk off.’ He scowled when I returned, munching on my first bite. ‘Give me one.’
I shook my head slowly, tempted to open my mouth and show him the chewed up cookie.
‘If you don’t give me one, I’m going to embarrass you.’ He gestured at the crowd. People rushed from shop to shop to spend their hard earned cash.
I zoned in on several hot females. Aries would make good on his promise if I didn’t give in.
‘Of course you can have one. I’m good at sharing…unlike some.’
His lip snarled as I offered him the bag and he picked out one of the biscuits. Shoving it into his mouth, he gestured towards the coffee shop. Mother sat at a table, waving at us.
‘You love me really,’ Aries said, snatching the bag from me and taking another cookie.
Mother downed the rest of her drink and came over. Aries didn’t want to be too confined so we stayed near the exit.
‘It’s good to see you, boys.’ Mother rushed her greeting as she joined us.
Wanting to sit, I led us over to a bench. The noise of the hustle and bustle would drown out our conversation. Nick was a clever man. His whole purpose in life was to torment us. He had managed to seduce our mother away from our father over six years ago. We hadn’t realised that she had been involved with the enemy until recently. Aries had been more forgiving than I thought he would be.
‘I don’t trust you,’ he said to her as she sat between us.
I squashed the urge to smile at his abruptness. Maybe he wasn’t quite as forgiving as I had imagined.
‘The women are staring at you both. Couldn’t you h
ave been a little less obvious?’ Her blunt reply made the corner of my lip lift. I couldn’t stop my reaction.
‘Look at her eyeing you up, she’s twice your age!’
I laughed fully. I couldn’t help it. We were only twenty-two but all eyes were on us.
‘It’s not me, it’s Aries,’ I said, winking at him over her head.
He flexed his metal knee and shrugged. ‘I can’t help it, Mum.’
His reply stopped my laughter. I hadn’t heard him address our mother in such a casual way since we were children.
‘Hadn’t we better get on with it?’ She sighed, running her gaze over my suit. ‘It’s good to see that you still keep smart, Gemini.’
‘He has to. It’s the only thing he’s got going for him.’ Aries stuck his tongue out at me.
‘Well, at least I have something going for me. Must be hard not to have anything.’ My reply went ignored as Mother slapped our thighs.
‘Mother, get to it then. What makes you think Nick knows where you are?’
Her face drained of colour as she looked off into the distance. Her gaze became vacant as she stared ahead. I had never encountered a time when she had been less than on the ball.
‘I’m sure they’re following me. I might be wrong, but…’
Aries frowned at me. I shrugged back, sitting up straighter. Crossing my legs at the ankles, I waited for her attention to come back to us. It didn’t.
‘Mother?’ Aries put a hand on her arm.
She jumped, knocking him away. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled, getting to her feet.
We followed her as she started to march away.
‘What’s up with her?’ I asked.
Aries shook his head, watching her every move. I scanned the centre, trying to see if I could see what she did.
‘There!’ She pointed.
A black clad arm was sticking out from the fake plant in the middle of the fountain. My gaze caught it as soon as she shouted.
‘Okay, let’s go.’ I grabbed her arm and swung her back towards the entrance.
‘I’m not being paranoid, am I? You saw it, didn’t you?’ Her words were panicky. Her breath was sharp and quick as Aries followed us.
He kept watch as we left the centre without any problems. Outside, we hovered by the exit.
‘It’s not safe anywhere.’ The cry that left our mother’s lips made us stare at her.
She had changed. She was no longer the confident woman that brought up twelve special people. Her demeanour was weak. I feared for her wellbeing.
‘What are we going to do with her?’ Aries whispered into my ear.
Mother wore a smart trouser suit. Her fingers pulled at the frayed edge of a sleeve. I had never seen her in anything that didn’t look good on her. Her clothes usually fitted her well but the suit she wore hung on her frame.
‘She’s not right. We can’t leave her at the safe house alone.’
Aries nodded. Turning to her, he put his hand on her shoulder. ‘It’s okay, Mother. Gemini will come and stay with you.’
‘What!’ I grabbed my brother and spun him round.
There was no way I was going to stay with my mother. I had things to do. Debts to clear.
‘Come on, you can miss a few nights gambling to-’
‘Miss a few nights gambling? Are you mad?’ It was my work. It wasn’t something I did for fun, although it did give me a thrill.
‘I’m on call with the fire brigade tonight. I can’t go.’
Aries smiled at my mother as we hissed to each other.
‘I’ll be fine. I don’t need a babysitter!’ Mother’s old self popped up in defence. Her hands shook as she reached into her bag and took out a packet of cigarettes.
‘She smokes?’
Aries glanced at me. ‘That’s new.’
Our mother had always been the height of positive living. Healthy food, exercise and self-care had been a top priority for her. She had tried to make us adopt her way of thinking. It had worked to a certain degree, but we rebelled.
‘I have an idea,’ I announced, turning to my brother.
His eyes narrowed on me. He wasn’t the trusting type. I needed to be careful with my wording.
‘Cancer’s man is back. He’s hiding in our attic.’
Aries’ balled his hands into fists. His cheeks turned an ugly dark red. His eyes widened as he sucked air into his lungs. I hoped he wouldn’t burst into flames in front of everyone.
‘Cancer betrays us once again.’ He spoke quietly, which meant he was angrier than I thought.
‘What would you do if you believed he was her soulmate? Would you still see it as a betrayal?’
Mother stepped towards us, her gaze intense on my brother’s reaction. Her hair was dyed light blonde. Naturally it was red.
‘I don’t care what he is. She keeps going behind our back.’
I shook my head. ‘Technically, she’s not. She went to Taurus for help the first time, now she’s asked me. Don’t you think there’s a reason she’s not coming to you?’
Aries grunted, hopping from one metal leg to the other. His fists released as he watched Mother. She nodded her agreement when he raised his eyebrows in her direction. ‘You don’t trust anyone, son. Rightly so. I’ve not exactly given you the perfect example. However, I want to make it up to you.’ She stepped forward and took my hand at the same time as grasping one of his. We towered above her. The heels she wore made her reach our chin.
‘I have to go to work tonight,’ I said to Aries.
‘So what do you suggest? That Matt and Cancer stay with her?’
He released mother’s hand when she gasped. She knew Matt. When she had changed sides and gone to live with Nick, she would have known his men. Maybe we shouldn’t be placing them in the same home.
‘That’s a stupid idea, Gemini, I don’t trust any of them.’
Her mouth opened as she frowned.
I could understand why Aries was so adamant. She had tricked us to believe that she was doing right by us when she was actually working with Nick to keep us in check. He didn’t want the Zodiacs to find their twin flame. She had kept us sheltered throughout our lives due to her own fears. Father had eventually left because she was too smothering.
‘Then you’ll have to stay with her, Aries. I have something important to sort out.’ Time was ticking. I had to find a lot of money and fast. My best chance was to go to the casino and play some smaller stake games. If I didn’t get the money, we would be ruined.
‘Okay, you go. I’ll sort it out. Leave Cancer to me.’
I swallowed, worried that he wouldn’t be kind to her. He was a fair person but even I could see that Cancer was pushing his buttons.
‘Thank you. I’ll be able to help out more soon. I have something-’
‘Whatever, mate, just go.’
Turning, I waved goodbye to Mother. She stared off into space again so I didn’t get a response. I had never seen her look so lost. It was alarming that one of the people who had been so solid in raising us was now breaking apart. What was happening to our family? As some of us found love, others were failing. One minute I was fine about my situation, the next I was scared.
I shook myself as I pushed my way through the crowded platform and onto a train. I had to forget about everything else until I had raised ten thousand pounds. Once that was done, I would focus on my family and what I could do to help.
Chapter Four
‘I’ll have a whiskey, please,’ I asked the bartender.
He nodded once and poured my drink.
‘I’ll have what he’s having.’ The sultry voice matched the eyes that met mine. She was familiar. Her dark hair tumbled down her back, caressing the bare skin that peeked out from behind her low backed dress. The silk brushed her body and clung to her gently. ‘Why did you run from me today?’
I sat back in my seat, studying her figure. Her eyes were painted with charcoal colours. Her glossed lips edged up at the corners as she brought the glass tum
bler to them.
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ I pleaded ignorance. I recognised her from the train but I didn’t realise she had been calling me. I had assumed that she was one of Aries’ ex-lovers.
She flicked her tongue over the lip of the glass, capturing the bead of liquid that rested there. I swallowed hard as her gaze raked over me. She studied my grey suit. Her gaze lingered on the undone top buttons of my shirt. My tie had been removed and placed in my pocket.
‘You know exactly what I mean. I see recognition in your eyes, which are a very lovely green by the way.’ The laugh that followed her sentence was deep and throaty. It sent a hot bolt throughout my body.
‘Thank you.’
I didn’t say anymore. There was no point in dragging out the conversation. We both knew what we were after. I had finished my game, reaping some nice rewards and now sat at the bar. It was my last drink. Midnight had come and gone. It was time to be heading home.
She shifted on her stool, crossing her long tanned legs. The deliberate movement caught my eye and decided my last question for the night. Who would take me home?
‘Do you come here-’
‘Don’t bother,’ she said, smirking when my eyebrows rose. ‘I’m only here for one thing. You don’t need to chat me up.’
The twinkle in her eye was not innocent. Leaning towards me, she brought her lips to my ear. The smell of powerful perfume drifted up my nose. A scent to undo a man and empower a woman. She was good.
‘You might be attractive but I’m not sure you can handle me.’ Her whispered words sent a touch of breath over my ear. I fought the urge to let my eyes close so that I could savour the feeling.
‘I’m not here to play games. Trust me, I can handle you.’
Her laughter had me unbuttoning another button on my shirt.
‘You lie. I’ve seen you play many games tonight…and win.’
It was my turn to smirk. She had been watching me. That was an interesting piece of information. She was acting the tough chick. Pretending to be the woman that couldn’t be swayed easily but I could sense her desire. It pulsed off her and washed over me. I had to have her.
Gemini: Book 4 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 2